Old People
by DancingStar01
Summary: Old People sometimes know better. So Lindsay s mother does... CHAPTER 2 ON AIR! Paring: C/L, J/S
1. Chapter 1

Title: Old People  
Author: DancingStar  
Crossover: PSI Factor/ Sue Thomas: FB Eye  
Pairing: Connor/ Lindsay, Jack/ Sue  
Rating: 12  
Category: Romance  
Contents: Old people sometimes know better. Lindsay´s mother also does ...  
Notes: I've always wanted to write a story with that name :-)

**Old People**

"I can´t believe this is actually my shopping list," Lindsay Donner sighed a little disappointed when she took a pack diapers for adults out of the supermarket´s shelf. Previously, there were moments in which she was shocked about this. It was especially difficult when she saw her former friends, how lived their lives and she had missed everything.  
She glanced at the clock. Maybe her mother was waiting for her at home. Lindsay's mom sat for years in a wheelchair. The past battered her and her family, but she couldn´t change that. At some day, Barbara Donner suggested her daughter should get her diapers for adults, so Lindsay hadn´t to be around all the time. Lindsay knew her mother was embarrassed, too, and she didn´t like the situation as well.  
In thought, Lindsay went to the next shelf and threw a pack of sponges into the shopping cart so that the diapers were covered until she reached the cashier and paid for her items. She then grabbed two heavy bags and carried them out.  
It was September and the summer was about to end. Nevertheless, it was pleasantly warm and the heat remained sometimes late into the night. A group of children ran laughing past her and one of the boys pushed her with a cheerful exuberance to the side so she nearly fell over.  
"Hey," she called after the boy and was relieved when a man had caught her.  
"Lindsay Donner," a voice said and she recognized the man immediately.  
"Connor, my goodness, you're actually here!", Lindsay was amazed and took a step back.  
"Why shouldn´t I be here? My cousin isn´t getting married every day", Connor beamed.  
"Yes, I know your cousin got married last Saturday," Lindsay admitted. She was even invited but couldn´t go there because she didn´t want to leave her mother home alone. "Well, I thought you were too busy with your job," she added, "We haven´t seen you for a very long time. Did you miss our beautiful town?"  
"Every day," Connor said and she knew immediately it wasn´t true. He noted that her bags had to be quiet heavy.  
"Can I take you home?", he asked, taking the shopping bag from her which was stuffed to the brim with vegetables. He had probably decided he would carry the bag to her front door, whether she liked it or not, but she was relieved he didn´t take the bag with the diapers.  
"That's very nice of you. I'm almost home..."  
"You still live with your parents?" He recognized the street where they were immediately and he knew where it led to. Of course, Connor didn´t know the reason why she had never left her parents´ house.  
Lindsay was still living in Youngstown, a small town in eastern Ohio. The town was so small that there was only one school and only one church.  
"What about you?", he now asked, "Where do you work?"  
She hated the question more than ever because she now had to admit her life was kind of boring. "I'll take care of my mother all day," she finally replied, "When I was in college..." she gulped, "I'll be honest with you: My father suffered on an apoplectic stroke while driving and hit a tree. He and my mother survived, but they needed care from this point: First Mom was in a coma for three weeks and my father didn´t speak a single word. When Mom woke up, she told me, I should end the college but I knew I had to care for them and... So I took care of my parents, instead of my career. Dad died two years ago."  
"I'm sorry. I didn´t know about this." In his mind, he added she had never told him about this in college.  
"You see, my life is very boring: I spend my days trying to do the household of my mother and I work as an unpaid nurse. Not a pretty daily routine... Jack and Sue help me a lot. Without them I would have gone mad long ago", she laughed a little when she said that. Jack and Sue were her best friends, who always had been there for her. Connor also remembered the two well, because he also knew them from school. Jack was a quarterback in high school and Sue was an outsider from the first day, when the other kids found out she was deaf. Because there was no school for deaf children within a hundred miles, Sue was more or less forced to visit a school for "normal" children. Only Lindsay, Jack and Connor were her friends and one day Sue said to them it was better if they weren´t seen together in school. Maybe then the other students thought they were nerds, too. It was Jack who told her first he didn´t care and he liked her too much so he´d never stay away from her. That same evening, Lindsay invited Sue to her home and the two teens also talked about how Jack defended Sue. "Sue, do you think he might be in love with you?", Lindsay wanted to know back then from her friend and chewed on a pencil. Sue thought it was unlikely. Why should a popular and handsome quarterback fell in love with her? The other kids at school called her "numskull." Sue was sure Jack didn´t want to have such a girl as his girlfriend. Somehow Lindsay pushed Sue to sneak to Jacks house in the same night. The worst thing was that Jack had seen them when they fought in front of the house, whether they should actually ring the bell and then Jack came to them. He wanted to know what they were doing there and Lindsay came to the point: "You're in love with Sue, aren´t you?"  
Then Jack said nothing. It was the first time the two girls saw him speechless. Instead, he glanced nervously at Sue and finally he nodded. "How do you know?", he asked and Sue's jaw dropped open. So Lindsay had been right! The next day Jack and Sue entered school together and she smiled because of the other girls who were looking at them jealousy. A little later, Jack and Sue had their first date and from then on they were inseparable: the two even went to college together and because their love was stronger than ever, the two decided to open a travel agency in Youngstown which was called "Travel for the deaf". Several times they had even offered Lindsay a trip for her parents although they weren´t deaf, but Lindsay refused. Her family wasn´t wealthy since her parents had the terrible car accident so they hadn´t the opportunity to afford a trip. They couldn´t even afford a professional nurse.  
Sue and Jack even offered her a trip for free, but Lindsay also refused. She couldn´t use her good-hearted friends, just because she was bored here in Ohio. The two were Lindsay's role model. She never told them, but she secretly wished one day she would find someone who loved her so much, like Jack loved Sue.  
"I´m always pleased when I remember our time in school," Lindsay admitted.  
"Me too... I've missed you, Lindsay Donner."  
When she heard this, she looked at him in surprise. She hadn´t expected he'd miss her after he had decided to go to the big city and take a better job there. He was her first love and she felt alone back then when he had left her. "Do you have any plans for tomorrow?", Connor wanted to know and she was surprised a little more.  
"Thanks, I...," Lindsay was relieved they now had reached the front door, "Mom has a doctor's appointment tomorrow. I´m sorry."  
"Okay. I see."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I have enough experience with woman so I know what you´re thinking."  
"Did you really say that?", Lindsay asked and Connor handed her the fully loaded plastic bag a little disappointed when she asked for it. "I... I should go," he said, "It was nice to see you again... This is my card with my current phone number." Connor gave her a stable business card with an embossed logo on the back. "I´ll stay for a while at the Youngstown Inn Hotel," with these words he went away and Connor didn´t turn around to her. Instead, she looked after him, confused. With a sigh, she entered her mother's house and put down the full shopping bags in the kitchen.  
"Why didn´t you agree?" , her mother asked and Lindsay was terrified.  
"Did you listen to us?"  
"Yes," the old Mrs. Donner unabashedly said, "Well, why didn´t you agree? You haven´t seen Connor for a long time and he was your first boyfriend..."  
"It's been a long time... I also have no time," Lindsay shook a pillow, which was lying on the couch, "I have a lot to do tomorrow: You have to see your doctor, I have to do laundry, clean up the kitchen and..."  
"You can do this the day after tomorrow."  
"The day after tomorrow is Sunday."  
"Then you do the laundry on Monday," Barbara Donner slowly realized what her daughter´s problem was, "Lindsay, I think you've taken care about me and your father long enough..."  
"Mom, I never mind."  
"You've never complained over the years, but now that Connor is back in town, you realize what you missed..."  
"Mom..."  
"You want a family, a regular life and you want an own life."  
"That's not true."  
"It's true and you know it. I won´t be responsible if you reproach me one day you missed your life because of me... It´s only one day, Lindsay. On that day I will get along very well", she grabbed the phone, "And now you'll call Connor and tell him you´re pleased to spend a day with him. Do what I tell you. Sometimes old people know best."  
"All right," Lindsay finally gave in.

The next morning Connor came in time to pick her up and when he found out she wasn´t waiting at the door, he rang the bell at the house. He was surprised when Barbara Donner opened. "Good morning, Connor," she said, rolling back in her wheelchair.  
"Good morning, Mrs. Donner." He didn´t know Barbara was sitting in a wheelchair and therefore he was even a little bit shocked.  
Barbara laughed at his remark, adding this reminded her about the time when Connor and Lindsay were in school. "I remember that evening when you picked up Lindsay for a summer festival," she said, "My husband has threatened you, he´d kill you, if you don´t have an eye on Lindsay..."  
"Yes, I remember that, too," he admitted. He had never forgotten this evening. It was a nice summer party. Back then Connor and Lindsay were 15 years old and that evening they had kissed for the first time. It was the moment in which their friendship from childhood transformed to their first love.  
"How are you, Mrs. Donner?", he avoided asking her about her wheelchair.  
"Very fine," the old lady replied.  
"Mom?", he heard Lindsay in the kitchen. A few seconds later she entered the hallway and noticed Connor was already here. "You are in time," she said then she looked at her mother: "Your lunch is in the microwave. "  
Barbara Donner nodded and accompanied them to the door, wishing Lindsay a nice day. They were barely out of the house when the door slammed behind them. "Looks like she´s looking forward to a day without me," Lindsay said with a shrug as she walked to the gate.  
Connor opened the door of a nice cabriolet for her. "This is a very nice car," she said, but probably this wasn´t new to him.  
"Um, before I forget: Jack and Sue would like to come along. I called them yesterday evening and told them about our trip... ", she was excited to see his reaction," Is that bad?"  
"No," but he didn´t expect. Nevertheless, he allowed her to describe the way to Jack and Sue's home. The two lived in a quiet street in an apartment above their travel agency and were waiting on the stairs. A Golden Retriever was lying on the ground.  
Connor and Lindsay got out.  
They were happy to see each other and exchanged greetings. "Who is that?", Connor asked, patting the dog, which wagged his tail happily. "This is Levi," Sue explained, "He is my hearing dog. I own him since five years."  
Connor nodded. Back then at school Sue had no hearing dog. Jack, Lindsay and Connor always helped her, if someone wanted Sue´s attention. When Sue had finished college, it was time for a dog which could help her in the office because Lindsay and Connor couldn´t be with her each day.  
"Where are we going?", Sue asked interested, when they entered the black cabriolet.  
Connor actually had planned something else with Lindsay, but now he had to change his plans. "What about the lake at the old quarry?" ,he asked then.  
Jack nodded. "That's where we went swimming in the summer when we were kids," he recalled. Because it was a very warm day today, he thought it was a good idea to go to the lake.  
The old quarry was only ten minutes away from the apartment and Connor parked his car in the shade. Levi was the first who hopped out of the convertible. They haven´t been here for a long time, but the environment hadn´t changed. Sue even could see the small edge, from which they always jumped into the water in summer. "We should have brought bathing suits," she joked and put on her sunglasses.  
"Come," Jack whispered, without saying a word to his girlfriend (she could read lips, so it wasn´t necessary to speak), he took Sue's hand and pointed to Lindsay and Connor, "We better leave them alone. Certainly they have to talk about many things."  
Sue agreed, grabbed Levi's leash and told Lindsay she and Jack would take a short walk.  
Lindsay nodded wordlessly. She didn´t know why, but she wasn´t pleased when Jack and Sue left her alone with Connor. Maybe she was just afraid the old feelings would come back again.  
"You must be terribly bored, when you have to spend a day in this old quarry," Lindsay sighed finally when they were alone, "Surely your life in the big city is much more exciting..."  
"Why didn´t you came to my cousin´s wedding?", Connor asked instead, "She told me she had sent an invitation to you and your mother... Is it because of what happened between us in college?"  
"No," she replied, "I'm not angry, because you moved away after college..."  
"Well," he muttered, "What is it then?"  
"You saw my mother," she hissed, "Stress isn´t good for her."  
"Why didn´t you tell me about the accident back then?" He would have understood.  
"I... I don´t know," she lied and knew she blushed, "Please let´s don´t talk about this," she asked him. In addition she was sure Connor didn´t ask for a day with her to scold her. "Perhaps we should also take a walk," she suggested. She had suspected from the beginning it wasn´t a good idea to spend a day with him. Of course she was glad he was back, but...  
"Okay, let's take a walk," he agreed and took her hand a little more cheerfully. He was relieved she didn´t withdraw from him.  
"Is the path around the lake still there? Maybe we´ll meet Jack Sue if we follow the path."  
"Yes," she smiled, "The path is still there."

After leaving the quarry, Jack and Sue showed Connor what had changed since their childhood in Youngstown. Lindsay listened to the city tour uninterested, when she thought about what Connor had said to her in the quarry. Then they visited some school friends who still lived in town and in the evening Jack invited them to his favorite Chinese restaurant, where they laughed a little about their childhood memories. Sue wanted to know from Connor, how long he would stay in Youngstown, but he replied he hadn´t thought about this.  
Connor took Lindsay home late at night, after drove Jack and Sue home. The air was warm, as they walked side by side on the narrow gravel path through the garden in front of the house.  
"Do you remember my cousin always said we would get married someday?", she wanted to know and he nodded.  
"I remember very well, too," Connor admitted, "And now see where life has brought us to... It´s been a very nice day... Thank you." They stood close to each other on the porch.  
"I thank you," she said and Connor grabbed her hand, pulled her close. He wanted to kiss her, but she stopped him. "We shouldn´t do that," she said, "My mother could see us."  
"In the age of 26 I know what I want. Do you?", he asked, leaning towards her and kissed her. Connor was almost relieved when she kissed him back. He gently stroked her cheek and let the moment last as long as possible. Lindsay was dizzy and she didn´t know why she allowed this, but it felt so wonderful that she couldn´t resist. Finally, he let her go and asked if she wanted to go out with him tomorrow again.  
"Maybe," Lindsay smiled happily and walked into the house where she lived with her mother.  
Her mother was sitting in her wheelchair in front of the TV and fell asleep because her chin had sunk on her chest. "Mom, wake up," Lindsay said in passing and turned off the TV, "It's late. Time to go to bed."  
Her mother didn´t respond.  
"Mom," Lindsay touched her cheek and noticed how cold she was. Startled, she sought her mother's pulse and couldn´t find it. In panic she ran to the door, opened it and rushed out onto the porch. "Connor!", she yelled.  
Connor had just reached his car and wanted to get in, as he heard her. Meanwhile, Lindsay broke down in tears and sat sobbing on the doorstep. Horrified, he ran to her. "What happened?"  
"She's dead," Lindsay was crying hysterically, "My mother is dead!"  
Connor walked past her and saw her mother still sitting motionless in her wheelchair. He reached for his cell phone call for emergency help.

The old Mrs. Donner was buried three days later on the main cemetery in Youngstown and Lindsay couldn´t remember she had ever cried so much in her life. She wasn't even so upset when her father died two years ago.  
During the funeral Connor was standing beside her and held her hand and when she couldn´t calm down, he hugged her protectively.  
All of a sudden Lindsay's life was so terribly empty. When her father had died, it was strange and even though he hadn´t talked to her for years she missed him. Now that her mother was gone, the house had become so dreadfully quiet and empty.  
After the funeral, relatives and friends gathered for a quick dinner at Lindsay's house. She had barely managed to take care of the catering alone so Sue had organized everything. Sue and Jack also took care about the priests, the formalities at the registry office and the flowers for the funeral, because Lindsay was only sitting in silence on the couch after the emergency physician diagnosed her mothers´ definitive death. She couldn´t eat. Sue had asked Jack to look after Lindsay after work and bring her a portion of food because she didn´t cook and when he came back the next day, the plate of spaghetti was still on the table. Connor also had to help Sue to prepare the house for the funeral, because Lindsay couldn´t managed to clean up the belongings of her mother. Without Lindsay knowledge they donated the clothes of the old woman to the Salvation Army and they hoped Lindsay wouldn´t crack up in rage when she learned it.  
Lindsay endured the condolences of some friends of her mother. Then she sat down on the couch again. "Can we do something for you?", Sue was anxious and her best friend Lindsay shook her head sadly.  
"The worst thing is that I wasn´t with her was when she died," she murmured.  
"Please don´t say this," Sue squeezed her hand reassuringly. Even Levi had put his head comfortingly on Lindsay's lap.  
"Excuse me for a while," Lindsay apologized and got up, "I´ll go to my room."  
Her friends looked at her anxiously.

When the guests of the funeral had left in the evening, Connor was looking for Lindsay. He was worried when he couldn´t find her so he asked Sue if she had seen Lindsay. Sue shrugged her shoulders helplessly. Connor was worried more and more. She wasn´t in her room and finally he found Lindsay in the pantry, where she sat silently on the floor. She wasn´t even talking to him when he sat down beside her.  
"I have a bad conscience," he admitted, when a bunch of garlic dropped on his shoulder and he put it back in the shelve, "Every time I see your sad face, I think it's my fault you couldn´t be with your mother when she died...", Connor was a little disappointed, when she still said nothing.  
"I came here...", he thought aloud, "I came here because my cousin got married. Then I saw you again and from the start I fell in... I just wanted to spend a little time with you, because... Damn it, because that's what people do who have fallen in love and if you hate me now, I can understand." Connor got up and walked out. When he had left Youngstown after college, he had tried to find a woman who was only a little bit like her and he had sought in vain.  
Lindsay didn´t know if she should run after him, or if she shouldn´t do it. She felt weak and tired, so she just remained sitting on the floor of the pantry until she fell asleep.

She woke up late in the night because she had dreamed about her mother. In the dream, her mother told her that she had to forgive Connor. Finally, he only wanted to spend some time with her. That she would die then, when Lindsay was thinking about herself, he couldn´t have known. Barbara also said this day she wanted so send her away with Connor because she knew he´d stay with her. If Lindsay was alone when Barbara died, she would still be alone.  
The house was dark, only a small lamp above the fireplace lit up the living area. Someone had put Lindsay on the couch and spread a blanket over her. The digital clock above the fireplace showed 01:33 a.m. Connor sat in the big chair of her father and slept.  
He was still here. That astonished Lindsay most of all. After he had confessed to her he loved her and she hadn´t said a word, she was almost sure he never wanted to see her again. But he had stayed.  
Slowly, she pushed back the blanket and saw the note on the small coffee table in front of her. She recognized Sue's handwriting. Sue wrote to her that she and Jack had gone home and they had put the cake in the refrigerator. Sue also wrote she had asked Connor to take care of her.  
Lindsay got up and went into the kitchen where she poured herself a glass of water. She was staring out of the window and noticed the wine bottle standing next to the refrigerator. Her mother had opened the bottle the evening before her death and Lindsay felt the urge to drink a big sip, when she heard a noise behind her.  
"I didn´t want to scare you," Connor apologized and his blurred reflection appeared next to her in the window. He also saw the bottle of wine.  
"Did you drink it?", he asked and she shook her head.  
"No," she replied, raising her glass of water. Her head ached and her eyes burned, because she had been crying so much at the grave of her mother today. "Connor, I... I wish I would have said something today. I wish I had said something today, when you confessed to me you still love me and... ", she said and when she gasped Connor embraced her. She felt how he led her back to the couch and then brought her another glass of water.  
"What shall I do, Connor?" Lindsay wanted to know in despair, "What shall I do without my mother?" Since the terrible car accident, she had only cared for her parents. She didn´t know a different kind of life.  
"I don´t know," he admitted, "You won´t like the idea but maybe you need some distance from here... Maybe you should take a break."  
She nodded in agreement and took a sip of water. Lindsay tried to calm down and when she could breathe again, she decided to go back to sleep. She thought it was almost sweet, when Connor spread the blanket over her and when he had walked to the fireplace to extinguish the light, she stopped him. "It isn´t your fault I couldn´t be with my mother when she died," she told him. He waited in vain for the words he wanted to hear from her.

_Yeah, I know it's hard to remember _  
_The people we used to be _  
_It's even harder to picture _  
_That you're not here next to me _  
_You say it's too late to make it _  
_But is it too late to try? _  
_And in our time that you wasted _  
_All of our bridges burned down _

_I've wasted my nights _  
_You turned out the lights _  
_Now I'm paralyzed _  
_Still stuck in that time when we called it love _  
_But even the sun sets in paradise _

_I'm at a payphone trying to call home _  
_All of my change I spent on you _  
_Where have the times gone _  
_Baby it's all wrong, where are the plans we made for two?_  
_If happy ever after did exist _  
_I would still be holding you like this _  
_and all those fairytales are full of it _  
_One more stupid love song I'll be sick _ ("Payphone" by Maroon 5)

The day without her mother was terribly lonely. After getting up, Connor brought her breakfast and she hardly ate a bite. He asked her what she wanted for lunch, but she didn´t answer and when it was already dark outside at night, she sat on the porch, staring at the few passing cars. Today was a beautiful summer day and she was sad because her mother couldn´t experience this. The wind stirred the leaves in the trees and she felt like a warm breeze blew around her. A thunderstorms was about to come, because the clouds in the sky were heavy and gray.  
Finally, Connor sat beside her on the wooden stairs. As he had promised to Sue, he had stayed with her all day and had watched over her. Sue thought that Lindsay might hurt herself in desperation.  
"We need to talk," she began, "Yesterday evening I just wanted to say..." she stopped, "You got me waiting quite a long time." Lindsay looked at him. "You were my first love, Connor..."  
"I know." They were teenagers when they had fallen in love and they promised to see each other in college, too. Later they found out they´d even visited the same college and when they met one afternoon to celebrate they had ever managed to get accepted at a better school. It was a great time. They went to college and often spent the whole night together. She fell in love with him more and more. Sometimes she called her mother and told her about how much she was in love with him. Barbara then always said if Connor passed the "Old People"- test (Lindsay should think about if she could imagine to have him around when she was old), he was the one. Then Lindsay's life fell apart: After the car accident of her parents she only followed the main lessons. She had never told Connor the Reason. She never told him about the terrible accident. Probably because she knew exactly what this accident meant for her and for her future and it was embarrassing to admit that her parents were now on welfare.  
Connor didn´t understand her reticence, he had tried to talk to her and when she completely avoided him, he took a great job after college and Lindsay stayed in the sleepy little town in Ohio to care for her invalid parents. In retrospect, she was sorry, because she realized she had missed her chance. She even believed it was her fault because she hadn´t been honestly with Connor and Sue had told her once or twice that Lindsay was completely right with this assumption and she had scared away Connor.  
"And I never stopped loving you... Surely you're wondering now why I never called to tell you... But that's something you shouldn´t discuss on the phone." Even if she had told him, she would have felt guilty because she had to care for her parents.  
"Thank you for staying with me last night," she grabbed his hand, "I've treated you terribly. I'm sorry."  
"You don´t have to be sorry," he leaned to her and kissed her gently. She wasn´t ready for more at the moment and he thought it was wrong to push her. Nevertheless, he was very relieved when she kissed him, too. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close. They had often done this before, when they were in high school and when they visited the college and today she sometimes longed for him painfully. This feeling was stronger than ever and she had to admit she was still crazy about him.  
"Let's go inside and...", she suggested breathlessly.  
"That's impossible," he tried the find a way to tell her he wouldn´t use her emotional situation, "I don´t want to hurt you... I must return to the city. My job is waiting for me", Connor admitted.  
She nodded wordlessly.  
"Come with me," he suggested, "It would be nice variety."  
"I can´t," her voice rasped. She didn´t know why she said that. What was she doing here? Her mother had told her she should live her own life. Was Connor a part of it?  
"I can´t leave: Tomorrow someone is coming who wants to look at the house and probably buy it."  
"I can wait," he grinned, "Then we both travel to town tomorrow evening." He was asking himself the question of what Lindsay wanted to do when she had sold her mother's house. He then asked her and she shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "Maybe I´ll move to an apartment like Jack and Sue. I also have to find a job... I can´t stay in this house. Everything reminds me of my mother."  
"I see," he nodded, "The house should be restored a little bit before, don´t you think?"  
"Yes, maybe." She leaned against him and enjoyed his warmth. Inwardly, she guessed he probably already thought about what they had to do before the broker came. The house was old, there was no question. But she didn´t have the heart to do change the house and destroy the memories of her parents. The idea wasn´t pretty, but she wanted to leave that part to someone else.

The next day they were waiting for the broker. The real estate expert from Youngstown had been announced for the afternoon and when Connor reached the old house, Lindsay already prepared the table. "I suppose you've brought something to eat," she suggested and Connor nodded.  
"I hope you don´t mind burgers."  
"No, that's okay." She didn´t dare say anything about it or say a remark about his unhealthy eating habits because in the end she was glad he cared about her and she wasn´t alone now. Lindsay had no idea how it was to be alone.  
After eating, they hastily cleared away the dishes then they sat on the stairs outside the house and waited. It was already 1 p.m. when a small car parked on the sidewalk. "Your broker is getting late," he noted and Lindsay rolled her eyes.  
A short, stocky man came up to them. "Good day, Mr. Hastings," Lindsay said, shaking his hand and she was surprised he had come alone, "I thought you'd like to bring a buyer for the house..."  
Mr. Hastings looked at her puzzled, then he looked at Connor. "Didn´t you tell her anything?"  
Now, Lindsay was also confused and when Connor shook his head, she knew what was going on. "You are the buyer?", she asked, a little stunned.  
"Yes," he nodded gently, "I should have said something..."  
"I think we should go in", the broker suggested. The conversation in the house took half an hour then Mr. Hastings left. Connor hated his situation, because Lindsay was sitting at the kitchen table and wasn´t talking a word to him. It wasn´t easy to find Lindsay´s broker after he returned to the hotel alone last night. The broker was almost a little angry, when Connor called him late in the evening at home because he had found out his private phone number and asked him to cancel the buyer for the house. He would buy it. No matter what the price was. He could afford this through his well-paid job perfectly.  
"I know I should have told you I'm thinking about to buy the home of your parents... The money would help, at least until you found a job... You could even stay in the house."  
"What?"  
"I didn´t want to do this for me... Well, basically, I did. I wanted to stay with you. I'm not going to leave Youngstown."  
"But your job..."  
"I can also work from home," he was glad she now talked to him again.  
"You really want to stay here?", her voice almost failed.  
"That's what I want. Do you know why? I love you, Lindsay."  
"I...", she closed her eyes as she realized she couldn´t tell him, "I love you, too," she finally muttered, "I love you, too."

One year later they had renovated the old house a little bit: They had bought lots of new furniture, from the outside the house had received a new blue paint and the porch lit up in white color. The garden looked nice and a classic, American mailbox was attached at the fence. In front of the garage was a small car, decorated with a sign at the back, showing the words "Just Married".  
On the stairs to the porch sat a blond woman and when the door of the house opened she turned around. A man handed her a cup of tea and sat down beside her und embraced her. "How are you today, Mrs. Doyle?", Connor wanted to know how she felt. Then he kissed her. Lindsay was so incredibly happy at this moment.  
Sometimes old people knew better. Lindsay was very happy in a way and although it took a while she now was also relieved her mother had been right this time...

Fin


	2. More Old People

Title: More Old People  
Author: Dancing Star  
Crossover: PSI Factor / Sue Thomas: FBEye  
Pairing: Connor / Lindsay, Jack / Sue  
Rating: 12  
Category: AU,  
Summary: Connors and Lindsay's niece wants to find out who her father is...  
Notes: Praying for those who lost their homes because of "Hurricane Sandy". To everybody who wrote to me on facebook because my name is Sandy, too: This is NOT funny!

**More Old People **

It was a sunny Thursday evening in autumn, when the door bell of the little house, in which Lindsay Donner and her mother had lived, rang unannounced. One year ago the old woman died and Lindsay took a while to get accustomed to this fact. Her good friend Connor helped her and after he had confessed to her he loved her, they got married and moved into this house. There had been a bit of refurbishment and the room of the old lady was a nice guest room meanwhile.  
Connor Doyle opened the door and he noticed the visit was his younger sister Rebecca and her daughter Amy. "Hi, uncle Connor."  
"Hi Amy. How are you?"  
Lindsay appeared next to Connor at the door and greeted them as well.  
"I hate disturbing you but I wouldn´t do if it wasn´t important... Would you mind to take care about Amy until Monday?", Rebecca asked, "I have to go to Chicago urgently."  
Connor nodded understandingly. Since Amy was born, Rebecca worked at a yoga school in Youngstown and had to join regular training sessions. Usually this sessions took place at the weekend and Rebecca was happy when one of her relatives took care of her daughter. She actually didn´t want to ask her brother and his wife, but Amy wanted to spend the weekend with her uncle and aunt.  
"That's OK," Lindsay finally said, "We like Amy very much."  
Amy was delighted and went past the adults. She put her bag on the couch and then went into the kitchen to get something to drink.  
"Thank you!", Rebecca said, and went to her car, "I'll pick up Amy on Sunday evening."  
"If your plane is delayed, we may send Amy to school on Monday?", Connor asked and his sister waved to them.  
"Yes," Rebecca replied, laughing. She was relieved that her older brother helped her. Rebecca was sixteen years old when she feared she might be pregnant. She noticed it when she woke up several days with nausea feelings. Rebecca once persuaded her brother to drive her into town. Her mother had written Connor a long shopping list fortunately. He was busy for some time, so she could see the doctor. Lindsay didn´t know about Rebecca´s problem and she also wanted to come to the city because she urgently needed a new dress. Of course, Rebecca hadn´t told her family she was afraid of being pregnant and she wanted to do it either.  
"Stop!" Lindsay said, as Connor drove past a row of shops, "I want to get out." She had already slammed the passenger door of the SUV and walked to the other side. Connor rolled down the window on the driver's side. Meanwhile, Rebecca already got out, too.  
"And you're sure that two hours is enough for shopping?", Connor asked anxiously.  
"Yes," Lindsay quickly kissed him goodbye, "I've no doubt. See you later." She waved goodbye and hurried across the street. "Let's go," she suggested and went to a shop that sold clothes.  
"Uh, I have an appointment", Rebecca retorted, " I´ll join you later, okay?"  
Lindsay was a little surprised, but she thought nothing about it and she let go Rebecca. The doctor's office was located just around the corner and she met her ex-boyfriend Ignacio at the door. They had not seen for more than four weeks because he had cheated on Rebecca with Svea, a Swedish exchange student. "Are you sure you're pregnant?", he asked and she nodded.  
They had to wait ten minutes until Rebecca was brought in an examination room by a nurse. Her ex- boyfriend stayed in the waiting room. After fifteen minutes she came back and looked deathly pale. "So what? What is it? Are you pregnant?", he asked as he followed her to the door.  
"No," Rebecca replied flatly and that was the last moment when she had seen Ignacio: Two weeks later he had to go to prison because he was involved in drug dealing. He never knew that she had lied. Rebecca was pregnant and that evening she told her parents. Her father scolded like crazy and asked why she had chosen a small-time criminals like Ignacio as the father of her child. Her mother hugged her protectively. Connor was eighteen, he was one year older than she was, and he had never told her what he thought about this. But Rebecca knew he thought the life of his sister would come to an end now. Amy was born nine years ago on a Sunday in March and Rebecca first noticed she didn´t look like her: Amy hadn´t her mother's blond hair and pale skin. Her black hair and light brown skin were a proof the Mexican roots of her father. Rebecca never regretted that she kept Amy and raised her without a father. Her daughter was a good kid. It wasn´t always easy, but everybody loved Amy. Nevertheless, it was not always easy for her to leave her daughter alone.  
While Rebecca went to the airport, Connor went out into the garden.  
"Hey Amy!", Connor said to her, "I think it's great you spend the weekend with us."  
"Me too, uncle!"

Next morning, Friday, Connor and Lindsay got up on time for sending Amy to school. "Uncle, when will you have to work tomorrow morning?", Amy asked, when she watched her aunt preparing her a cheese sandwich. Now Amy sat down beside her uncle at the table.  
"I don´t have to work tomorrow," Connor said, "Tomorrow is Saturday." Connor worked from home, so it was no problem when he decided to stay in Ohio instead going back to the big city.  
They sent Amy to school on time then Connor went in his office and sat down behind the laptop and was working while Lindsay visited Sue and Jack in the travel agency.  
When Lindsay came home from the supermarket in the evening, she was very surprised when a tent was standing in her living room. She listened, when Connor and Jack talked to each other and Amy commented what they said. "Are you in this tent?", she asked and put a bag at the table, "What are you doing in there?"  
"Come on in," Connors's voice suggested and she pushed the peach-colored fabric to the side. Lindsay saw that Connor, Jack, Sue and Amy were lying on some cushions and stared at the ceiling together. "What are you doing here?", Lindsay repeated her question. The last time Amy had visited Connor and Lindsay for the weekend, the girl wanted to watch a documentary about the largest animals in the world and when it was about seven meters long anacondas, Lindsay put her feet up to the safe couch.  
"We look at pictures," Jack said, "Connor fixed up the old projectors." Jack pointed now to a photo on the ceiling of the tent and Lindsay lay down between Sue and Connor, also looking at the ceiling. "These are photos from our school days," she said. Connor pushed a button on a remote control and the next image appeared.  
"It was the evening of the summer festival", Lindsay recalled. Her father had taken the picture when Connor picked up Lindsay for the party. That was the night in which the teenagers had kissed for the first time.  
"My god, I can´t believe that I ever had such a bad hairstyle", Connor complained.  
"I can´t believe you ever had so much hair", Jack added, laughing.  
"Hey! Be careful, buddy!", Connor yelled and pushed the button on the remote control again and now they saw a photo of Jack and Sue at the summer festival.  
"Back then we were a sweet couple," Sue said and grabbed the hand of her boyfriend. "Hey, we are still a sweet couple," Jack said.  
They then went to the next image: It was the old house of the Doyle family, photographed by Connors father: The front yard was lined with red roses. On the next photo they saw Rebecca as a sixteen year old girl and a dark-haired boy with light brown skin. Lindsay held her breath as she saw the picture and luckily Connor pressed again the button on his remote control and now they saw a picture of Connor and his father, as they sat next to a pond and fished. The photo was taken during college vacation.  
"We should eat something," Lindsay suggested, "Sue, would you help me to cook dinner?", Lindsay was hoping Amy hadn´t notice her hesitation, but after the photo session, when Lindsay took the child to bed, she said: "The boy in the photo was Moms boyfriend, right? Is this my daddy?"  
Lindsay would ask Connor later how a picture of Rebecca and Ignacio could end up in their photo session. But Lindsay decided to tell the truth to the child, although it wasn´t her job. Amy was very auld and smart for her age.  
"That's your father, yes," Lindsay finally replied and sat with her niece on the bed. She noted something was wrong with Amy, because she suddenly looked distressed at her blanket.  
"In my school there is a girl...," she finally told, "Her parents get divorced."  
"That's bad...", Lindsay replied.  
"Yes. But I don´t know how it is like to have a daddy."  
"Oh, sweetie," Lindsay hugged her niece.  
"Will you help me to find my daddy?", Amy asked Lindsay suddenly let her go.  
"I... I don´t know... Your Mom wouldn´t like that."  
"Yes," the girl sighed, "I know that Daddy was in jail at that time."  
Lindsay was shocked that Amy knew about it. She didn´t expect that Rebecca had told her nine-year-old daughter the truth about her father. She was even more surprised that Amy had never seen a photo of her father.  
"Do you know the old people test, Aunt Lindsay?", Amy asked and Lindsay nodded.  
"Of course I know the old people test", Lindsay's mother had once talked about that and said she should think about if she wanted Connor in her life when she was old.  
"How do you know this test?"  
"Grandmother talked about it a few times," the child replied.  
Lindsay knew that her mother Barbara and Connor's mother were friends in youth. Probably the two had spoken at that time about the old people test and Lindsay had to chuckle a little bit.  
"You know, I've never seen my daddy, but I think he and Mom would pass the old test people," Amy looked now at her aunt with big eyes, "And? Will you help me?", she asked again.

The next day was Saturday and Amy and Lindsay visited Sue in her travel agency. Levi was happy to see the visit when he welcomed the child barking excited. "Go and play together," Sue suggested. The travel agency "Travel for the deaf" was indeed located on a busy street, but behind the building there was a large courtyard. Among the customers of the small travel agencies were deaf people from all around the country who appreciated a thoroughly organized holiday abroad and didn´t have to worry about hotels or other things. Jack and Sue mostly contacted their customers via email.  
Sue watched satisfied when her hearing dog Levi and Amy ran to the door that led into the backyard. When both were gone, Lindsay breathed a sigh of relief. "What's going on?", Sue asked.  
"Last night, after Amy has seen a photo of her mother and father at our photo shoot, she wants to meet Ignacio." Lindsay also reported she had asked Connor yesterday, after their friends had gone home and Amy had gone to bed, how a picture of Rebecca and Ignacio could end up in their picture collection and her husband apologized and told her he had no idea how this could have happened. Connor then asked, if she was very angry, but of course Lindsay wasn´t angry with him. He was her life and her great love.  
"That would be pretty difficult," Sue admitted. Back then in school Sue and Jack weren´t only friends of Connor and Lindsay, but also friends of Connors younger sister Rebecca. When Rebecca was pregnant at the age of sixteen years this was obviously a shock for them. As far as Sue and Lindsay knew, Ignacio had to go to jail a few days after Rebecca's first appointment with the doctor. "I think it's not a good idea," Sue said finally, "Ignacio doesn´t even know about Amy."  
"We have no idea where he currently is ", Lindsay added and she thought it was the best for Amy, if her father was back in Mexico now. "The problem is, she wants to meet him."  
"And what does Rebecca think about that?", Sue asked, when she put the new travel brochures for the coming season on the shelf. Then Sue offered her best friend a cup of coffee and Lindsay answered: "I suppose, Rebecca knows nothing about that."

While Lindsay was talking to Sue, Amy was playing with Levi in the backyard of the building. "Catch the ball, Levi!", the girl cried and threw a yellow tennis ball, which the golden retriever chased immediately. The ball rolled directly at the feet of a man and Levi grabbed his toy and carried it back to Amy. "You have a very nice dog," the man told her.  
Amy grabbed Levi's collar and together with the dog she walked to the dark-haired man. When Levi was with her, nothing would happen. She was sure. In his smart suit, he didn´t look threatening, anyway, she thought. Amy thought for a moment, he had exactly the same Mediterranean skin, like she had."That's not my dog," Amy replied.  
"What´s your name?", the man asked.  
"My name is Amy... And what's your name?"  
He hesitated a moment, but finally he answered. "My name is Tom. Is your mom called Rebecca?"  
"Yes," Amy nodded, "You know her?"  
"We were friends... How old are you?"  
"I'm nine," Amy's voice was firm, "You know..."  
At that moment they were interrupted by Lindsay. "Amy!," exclaimed Amy´s Aunt Lindsay horrified. To see her niece talking to a strange man wasn´t only the nightmare of all mothers, but also the nightmare of all aunts.  
"I gotta go. My aunt is waiting for me, "Amy apologized to the man and went back in Levis accompaniment to the back door of the travel agency. On the way home, Lindsay scolded Amy and asked her if her mother hadn´t taught her that she shouldn´t talk to strangers.

During dinner there was silence at the table and Connor watched Amy when she put some noodles listless on her fork. Lindsay was also poking around in her food without appetite. Connor first looked at Lindsay, then at Amy and then back at his wife. "Won´t you tell me what happened at the travel agency today?", he finally asked.  
"No," Lindsay and Amy replied simultaneously. After dinner, Lindsay sent her niece into her room and when she and Connor were alone, she told him what happened: " Ignacio showed up in Sue's travel agency today and asked Amy a few things when they were alone, playing with Levi outside." When she said this she didn´t look at him but put the used dishes into the dishwasher. Connor was standing next to her and handed her a glass of wine.  
Her husband´s wine almost stuck in his throat. "Are you sure?"  
"Of course I'm sure!", Lindsay said, "I recognized him." And she hoped that Amy hadn´t. "How did he know where Amy is?" Lindsay wanted desperately to know and Connor shrugged his shoulders. "I don´t know. Perhaps he has seen Rebecca", he surmised. Connor knew that Ignacio went to prison a little more than nine years ago and of course he knew this wouldn´t last forever. But actually he had believed Ignacio had returned to Mexico.  
"Amy wanted me to help her finding her father. Well, there´s no need ... She even told me what questions he had asked her", when she told this to her husband, Connor and Lindsay had an idea what was going on. Now Ignacio certainly knew that Amy was his daughter. When he thought about the time nine years ago and when he noticed Amy's Mediterranean look, then...  
"Shall we call Rebecca?", Lindsay asked anxiously and Connor embraced her. She leaned her head against his shoulder.  
"I think this won´t be necessary," Connor said, "She is coming home tomorrow night."

On Sunday, Connor and Lindsay visited Connor's mother. She lived in a retirement home in the city and of course old Mrs. Doyle always looked forward to family visits. Jack and Sue sometimes visited Angelica, too, and the old Mrs. Doyle asked them constantly if they ever wanted to get married. Sue then usually responded a little ashamed. She was glad that her own parents had stopped pushing her and Jack to a wedding and now Mrs. Doyle began doing it. Not that Sue didn´t love Jack, but she liked her life how it was. In addition, she and Jack were a couple since high school and they didn´t think they needed a marriage certificate as proof of love.  
"And what about you two?", Angelica asked every time when she had finished addressing Jack and Sue at a wedding, "When will you two finally have a baby?" Every time she said this, she looked at Connor and Lindsay with big eyes and the clunky glasses made her eyes almost greater.  
"Mom," Connor then called, "Lindsay and I have enough time to have a baby."  
"Your sister was seventeen years old when...", Angelica began and Connor raised his hand. In this case he hated being compared to his sister.  
"Come, Angelica. Let's go to the cafeteria, we´ll eat a piece of cake, " Sue and Jack suggested and Amy pushed the wheelchair of the woman out of her room. The girl noticed that her aunt and uncle didn´t seem to come along. "Now, come on!", she called them too excited.  
On the way to the cafeteria of the retirement castle they had to go through the garden of the facility. There was also a kind of connecting tunnel between the cafeteria and the residential buildings (because it was not acceptable for the old people to walk through the garden in winter), but today the weather was very nice and they pushed Angelica's wheelchair through the garden. "Amy, not so fast!", the old lady complained, because her granddaughter pushed the wheelchair really fast. Amy defended herself by saying she wanted to eat a cherry pie and she doesn´t want Jasper to have the last slice again. Cherry pie was available every Sunday in the retirement home and Jasper, also a resident, always ordered the last piece.  
"You look very concerned," Sue stated, when she looked into the face of her best friend.  
"No, I...", but Lindsay decided to tell her the truth, "I'm still a little worried because I've seen in Ignacio at the travel agency."  
"And are you really sure it was Ignacio?", Jack asked.  
"You sound like Connor!"  
"Well," Jack thought, "How could he know you are exactly on that day in our office?"  
"I suspect he tracked down Rebecca, when he was released from prison, and when he noticed she´s out of town currently, he was searching for her relatives," Connor said.  
"I think that's pretty scary," Sue agreed, as she reached the entrance to the cafeteria. While her friends entered the building Sue stayed to call for Levi, who was walking in the garden. "Levi!," she called for her dog when he wasn´t to be seen. And then she saw him: he stood in front of a Mediterranean-looking suit- man and was barking. "Levi, come here," she called again and the man seemed to notice her. With a strange look in his eyes he stared at her. The fact that Levi was already on his way to her, Sue barely registered. She started when someone touched her shoulder.  
"Sue? Are you all right? ", her boyfriend Jack now appeared in her sight and she nodded. She looked once more to the point where the man had been standing, but he had disappeared without a trace.

Of course, Sue had told them she had seen Ignacio in the garden of the retirement castle and she was relieved that Jack believed her. They sent Amy and Levi to Sues and Jack's apartment so they could talk undisturbed.  
In the evening, a thunderstorm raged over Youngstown, as Amy stared impatiently at the clock. Her mother wanted to come back from Chicago today, but in this terrible storm, it would certainly take a while before her plane landed.  
From the corner of her eye Lindsay saw, how Connor went to the door and was searching for his car keys.  
"Where are you going?", Lindsay asked while Connor was putting on his raincoat.  
"Jack and Sue called," he said, "Their fridge is broken and they need help." Connor reached for his wife to kiss her.  
"IGIT!", Amy cried and covered her eyes. Her aunt smiled.  
"See you in two hours," he said goodbye to them and went to the door.  
The time flew by and a little more than two hours later, Lindsay began to worry. Outside the terrible storm was still raging and the she wanted to call Sue to ask her how long Connor and Jack would still need to repair the refrigerator, as Amy rushed into her living room. "Aunt Lindsay!," she exclaimed exhausted and her aunt thought at first she was excited because she had seen a spider, "I was in the bathroom to wash my hands. Then I heard a scratching noise and saw a shadow at the window."  
The blood froze in Lindsay's veins, because she had an idea, who the shadow at the window was.  
An eerie scratching was scraping at the front door.  
"The noise is back," Amy grabbed her aunt´s hand as she spoke. The noise came from the door now. Lindsay was alerted, when she heard it too and she got up from the couch on which she had been sitting.  
"Stay in the living room," Lindsay whispered to her niece and looked near the entrance of her house for an object with which she could defend. All she found was an umbrella. Damn, why didn´t Connor have a baseball bat or golf club? If necessary, she would have to pick a carpet beater from the basement and pray this was robust enough to fend off a burglar. So she chose the blue umbrella and took it over her shoulder. Lindsay was ready to put down the intruder. From the outside the door was still shaken. Finally the lock and the door opened. Someone pressed the light switch and Connor, Jack and Sue appeared in front of her.  
"My goodness, it´s you!", Lindsay exclaimed relieved and dropped her umbrella, "What are you doing here?" She was confused. Amy also came to them.  
"I live here," Connor replied, "Jack and Sue wanted to tell you something important," Connor replied for Jack and Sue, then he noticed the umbrella in the hands of his wife, "What did you wanted to do with the umbrella?" He wanted to ask her if she wanted to know him down but he didn´t.  
"Nothing, I ...", she shook her head and looked at her friends, "What do you want to tell me?"  
"Jack asked Sue on the ride here in the back seat of my car if she wants to marry him," Connor replied once again for Jack and Sue.  
"Is that true? What did you say?"  
A smile on Sue's face loomed and she showed Lindsay her engagement ring. Suddenly there was a knock at the door and a bolt of lightning flashed. The thunder rumbled through the city.  
"Are you expecting someone else?", Jack asked and Lindsay shook her head slowly. She remembered the umbrella, she was still holding in her left hand. When no one opened the door, the knock came again. "Come on. I know you're home, " a familiar voice said," Connor's car is parked in front of the house."  
"Mom!," Amy shouted and ran to the door to open it for her mother. "Hi Mom," Amy was very happy to see her.  
"Hey Amy. Did you have a nice time with your uncle and your aunt?", as she said this, she stepped closer to the door. Rebecca's hair was wet because of the rain. Amy replied to the question of her mother with a "Yes".  
"What have you done last weekend?", Rebecca stood in the doorway to take off her wet raincoat. Lindsay decided she would tell Connor's sister about what happened in the travel agency and the retirement castle later. The strange thing about the story was that Sue had seen Ignacio, too, so it wasn´t a figment of her.  
"Come in and tell us about Chicago... We were ...", Lindsay already began to answer, but she was interrupted by another, unfamiliar voice: "I wanted to get in touch with Amy. Why didn´t you tell me I have a daughter, Rebecca?"

Ignacio first looked at Rebecca, then at Amy. The girl seemed to be shocked that be the man who had approached the travel agency and introduced himself as Tom should be her father. Amy was almost grateful when her aunt put her arms protectively around her shoulders.  
"How...?", Rebecca was unable to speak.  
"How do you know where we are?", Connor wanted to know.  
"Finding you wasn´t hard. You still live in Youngstown", he now looked at Lindsay, Sue and Jack. He knew them still from school.  
"Well, you didn´t answer my question yet, Rebecca," Ignacio said, "Why didn´t you tell me that we have a daughter?" He remembered well the day when he had accompanied her to the doctor and then she said she wasn´t pregnant.  
"You ask for?", Rebecca cried, went out to Ignacio in the rain and pushed him back, "You were in jail! You were a danger to me and my daughter!" Before he could say a word she pushed him away and she noticed that someone grabbed her left hand. "Let's go inside," Connor suggested to his sister and quietly took her with him to the house. He called out to Ignacio he should now leave them alone. They would talk to each other another time.

Rebecca was glad that Lindsay had managed to send Amy to bed. Actually, she wanted to take home her daughter today, but she accepted the fact that Amy would go to school tomorrow from here.  
"We wanted to tell you, but then we had anticipated," Sue said. Lindsay got a cup of coffee for Rebecca. "What do you mean?" she asked.  
"Lindsay saw Ignacio when he talked to Amy in Sue's travel agency... And Sue has seen him when we visited Angelica in her home," Jack said. He thought that Ignacio was right: It wasn´t hard to find them because they all still lived in the same city where they had visited school.  
"Why didn´t you call me?", Rebecca asked.  
"That was my fault," Connor admitted.  
"I hate him," murmured Rebecca.  
Lindsay didn´t understand. "Who? Connor?"  
"No, Ignacio. What is he thinking? He can´t appear in our life after such a long time."  
"Well, maybe you should have told him he has a daughter. Looks like he now wants to get to know her", Sue suggested," We never understood why you didn´t tell him." She knew Rebecca was afraid, Ignacio would still deal with drugs and of course it was dangerous for a child.  
"I don´t know if someone who has been in prison for nine years is a good deal for a child," Jack discussed and of course they realized how depressed Rebecca looked into her cup. They asked her what was going on and finally Rebecca confessed that Ignacio had been in prison only for five years. Meanwhile he had written her several letters that she threw them away without reading the lines. What did he want her to tell? How happy he was with his Swedish exchange student Svea? Then as now, she couldn´t bear that thought.  
Connor and Lindsay found that the confession made sense. They assumed that Ignacio had managed after his stay in prison to find a normal job and started a normal life. Lindsay acknowledged by the fine suit he had worn.  
"Don´t you think it´s possible he has changed?", Sue asked and Rebecca looked at her. After she had thought a few seconds, she shook her head.  
"Well, he was the only one who survived the old people test," Lindsay recalled. They all had already heard about the test and their mothers once had told long ago that in Rebecca´s mind Amy's father had passed the test. Then he had foolishly taken up with an exchange student.  
"This test is terrible nonsense!", Rebecca exclaimed.  
"It´s not," Lindsay sounded a little hurt, "Maybe there's no second chance for you and him, but Amy should give her father a chance."

The next day the weather had improved. Connor had promised to take Lindsay, Rebecca and Amy to the city after school. Last night his sister was thinking about Lindsay's words and she felt she was right. Ignacio should get a chance to get to know his daughter. Now Rebecca was curious to hear why he suddenly wanted to meet Amy, why he hadn´t called before, and why he was cheating on her back then.  
"Stop!", Lindsay said, as Connor drove to the cafe where Rebecca and Ignacio had arranged to meet by telephone this morning. Lindsay had agreed to come along for moral support. "We want to get out here," Lindsay declared. She had already slammed the passenger door of the SUV and walked to the other side. Connor rolled down the window on the driver's side. Rebecca and Amy also got out.  
"And you're sure two hours will be enough?", Connor asked anxiously. It was almost like nine years ago, he thought.  
"Yes," Lindsay quickly kissed him goodbye, "I've no doubt. See you later." She wanted to turn around when Rebecca was suddenly standing in her way.  
"I want to do it alone," her voice was very quiet, "It would be very nice if you would pick me and Amy up in two hours."  
Lindsay nodded in agreement and went back to Connor in the car. They were still watching and then waved Amy them goodbye and went with her mother across the street. Ignacio was waiting in the cafe and after Amy hesitated, she hugged her father very relieved.  
When Connor and Lindsay drove home in their car, she threw a glance in the mirror and she held her breath when Rebecca also hugged her ex-boyfriend. Secretly, she wondered whether Rebecca could ever forgive Ignacio.  
"Promise me you will never leave me alone," Lindsay whispered and put her hand on Connors.  
And he agreed with her: "Never..."


End file.
